一 生 懸 命(いっしょうけんめい)

いっしょうけんめい

adverb

with all one's might; very hard; desperately

1. with all one's might, very hard

Describes doing something with maximum effort and dedication.

一生懸命(いっしょうけんめい)勉強(べんきょう)した。

I studied very hard.

一生懸命(いっしょうけんめい)働(はたら)いています。

I'm working as hard as I can.

彼女(かのじょ)は一生懸命(いっしょうけんめい)走(はし)った。

She ran with all her might.

一生懸命(いっしょうけんめい)やったけど、だめだった。

I tried my hardest, but it didn't work out.

2. desperately, earnestly

Emphasizes intense effort, often in challenging circumstances.

一生懸命(いっしょうけんめい)逃(に)げた。

I ran away desperately.

He earnestly tried to explain, but nobody believed him.

子供(こども)たちが一生懸命(いっしょうけんめい)手(て)を振(ふ)っている。

The children are waving their hands earnestly.

一生懸命(いっしょうけんめい) is an adverb meaning 'with all one's might' or 'very hard.'

Position: Usually appears directly before the verb it modifies.

[Register: Neutral]

Variant: 一所懸命(いっしょけんめい) is an older variant with the same meaning (originally referred to risking one's life to protect one's land).

Similar expressions:

一生懸命(いっしょうけんめい) vs. 頑張(がんば)る: Both express effort, but 一生懸命(いっしょうけんめい) describes the manner of action while 頑張(がんば)って is an encouragement.
一生懸命(いっしょうけんめい) vs. 必死(ひっし)に: 必死(ひっし)に implies even more desperate effort, often in life-or-death situations.

Can also function as a na-adjective: 一生懸命(いっしょうけんめい)な努力(どりょく) (earnest effort).

一生懸命(いっしょうけんめい)